The Lion King (2019)

live action remake - Disney

True, this live action (not sure what to call this category...enhanced CGI ?) remake of The Lion King  was not necessary, but it was beautiful and much more involving than the live action remake of Beauty and The Beast. However, without Timon's and Pumbaa's voice actors, this movie would have been much less entertaining. Every time that I heard Zazu (hornbill) talk, I giggled not so much for the actual dialogue, it was due to the very famous individual voicing this bird. Kamari and Azizi (hyenas) needed much more screen time. Alfre Woodard (as Sarabi - the Queen of the pride) was as majestic as you would want and Florence Kasumba (as Shenzi - the Queen Hyena) was VERY intimidating. Too bad neither voice actor had enough screen time.I guess that I would have to admit that I enjoyed the secondary characters far more than the main characters.I would like to think that was by Jon Favreau's design not accident.
Maybe showcasing the others in Simba's world was his way of honoring the original animated version of 1994 and yet adding his spin to the story.






This movie's existence was never demanded (by the audience anyway) However, this new version entertained me. I liked the secondary characters far more than the main characters. To me these voice actors were the standouts:  Keegan-Michael Key (as Kamari, hyena),  Eric André (as Azizi, hyena), Alfre Woodard (as Sarabi), Florence Kasumba (as Shenzi, hyena leader), Billy Eichner (as Timon) and Seth Rogan (as Pumbaa). These voice acted characters needed much more screen time and way more dialogue.  John Oliver made me laugh, but more because I was imagining him doing his HBO show as Zazu.. The most sharp critics of all, the children  in the audience, while not cheering Simba on, were well-behaved and reasonably still. Just one question, why do parents of young children take them up to the higher level of seating, in the middle of a row knowing their little ones have little bladders. So children's behavior 👍 , parental behavior 👎.





While I LOVED the original animated feature, I was still entertained by the 2019 version. For me the secondary characters were the standouts, perhaps that is what Jon Favreau intended? The director was in a difficult place, keep it similar (with some audience members and critics screaming cash grab) or make it different (with some audience members and critics screaming you destroyed my childhood). Why do it at all...well why not.There should be a place in this world for the 1994 and 2019 movies as both are creatively crafted works of art and entertainment.